A Comprehensive List Of The Top 10 Smartphones Under Rs. 20,000, Available In India (January 2014)

The Rs. 20,000 segment is a very interesting one in the sphere of Smartphones. On one hand, there are the well established players exercising an almost monopolistic control over the market and on the other, a set of manufacturers (including some home-grown ones) that may not be as well established as their high-end counterparts but are certainly putting up a good fight with the big-guns and in some cases, also giving them a run for their money. This segment sees a lot of action as all the manufacturers are constantly innovating their products as they vie for higher sales volumes and subsequently, the top spot.

In view of this, we present to you a comprehensive compilation of the top 10 smartphones under Rs. 20,000 available in India – January 2014 list (in no particular order). The prices considered for the list are give or take a few hundred rupees on the Rs. 20,000 benchmark.

Spice Pinnacle Stylus Mi-550:

The Spice Pinnacle Stylus Mi-550 is a 5.5 inch phablet that has a 1280×780 pixel resolution and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It’s got a 1.2 GHz Quad Core Processor and 1 GB of RAM. The in-built storage capacity stands at 8GB but can be expanded up to 32 GB. There is an 8 Megapixel primary camera with dual LED flash support and a 2 Megapixel secondary camera. It is powered by a 2500 mAh battery. This phone also boasts of a stylus support. It is available for Rs. 12,999.

BlackBerry Q5:

For those who simply dread touchscreens, there is the Blackberry Q5. This phone offers the best of both worlds i.e. touch and type. It’s got a 3.1 inch TFT LCD screen that has a resolution of 720×720 pixels and a full QWERTY keypad as well. The Blackberry Q5 comes with BlackBerry 10.1 OS.  It has a 1.2 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor from Qualcomm and 2 GB of RAM. The internal memory capacity stands at 8 GB and is expandable up to 32 GB. It has a 5 Megapixel primary camera with flash and a 2 Megapixel secondary camera. The Q5 runs on a 2180 mAh battery. With prices starting at Rs. 20,500, this phone is a tad beyond our limit.

Nokia Lumia 720:

The Nokia Lumia 720 is a pretty good phone in case you’re in the market for a Windows phone. Its 4.29 inch screen has a resolution of 800×480 pixels. There is a 1 GHZ Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and an Adreno 305 GPU and 512 MB of RAM. This phone runs on Windows 8 OS. Its primary camera bears a resolution of 6.7 Megapixels and has an LED flash, whereas its secondary camera sports a 1.3 Megapixel resolution. The battery capacity stands at 2000 mAh. While these specs may seem to be rather humble on paper when compared to the outlandish specifications of its competitors, the Lumia 720 performs quite well in the flesh. It also feels very well built. Prices start from Rs. 18,299 onwards.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos/ Grand Quattro:

The Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos has been around for quite some time now but still enjoys a good fan following thanks to the recent slash in prices. It has a 5 inch screen with a resolution of 480×800 pixels. There is a 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor and 1 GB of RAM. The Grand comes with Android 4.1 OS. It has an 8 GB on-board storage capacity that can be expanded all the way up to 64 GB. There is an 8 Megapixel primary shooter that also has an LED flash to support it and a 2 Megapixel primary camera unit. The Galaxy Grand Duos as the name suggests is a dual-SIM phone that offers ‘Dual Standby’ for both the SIM cards. The phone is powered by a 2100 mAh battery. With prices starting at Rs.17,064, the Grand Duos still makes for a good choice but it seems to be losing some of its ‘wow factor’ as it is nearing the end of its life-cycle.

Perhaps, you could also consider the Galaxy Grand Quattro for a little less money. Based on the Grand Duos and sharing a number of features with the same phone, the Grand Quattro features a 1.2 GHz Cortex A-5 Quad Core processor with 1 GB of RAM and an Adreno 203 GPU that runs on Android 4.1.2. The display resolution is similar to that of the Grand Duos but the screen size has been reduced to 4.7 inches. There is downscaling in the camera department and the primary camera’s resolution has been brought down to 5 Megapixels, while the secondary camera has a resolution of 0.3 Megapixels. The battery has a 2000 mAh rating. Pricing options start at Rs. 15,081, making it an incredibly good phone for the price.

Micromax Canvas Turbo A250:

The Micromax Canvas Turbo is a phone that tries to strike the perfect balance between affordability and offering top drawer specifications, and it achieves that to a great extent. The 5 inch screen has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Under the hood, you’ll find a 1.5 GHz Quad Core MediaTek MT 6589Tprocessor along with 2 GB of RAM. It is pre-loaded with Android 4.2.1. There is a 13 Megapixel primary camera and a 5 Megapixel secondary camera. The primary camera also has an LED flash support. Internal memory capacity stands at 16 GB but there’s no expansion slot. This dual SIM phone runs on a 2000 mAh battery. The Canvas Turbo is a good phone that’s pretty well built also. It sells from a starting price point of Rs. 16,339.

Gionee Elife E6:

The Gionee Elife E6 is a relatively new entrant in this segment and seems to be quite promising thanks to its impressive specifications. Its screen measures in at 5 inches and bears a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. There is a 1.5 GHz Quad Core Cortex A-7 processor along with 2 GB of RAM. It comes with Android 4.2. Then there are the 13 Megapixel (with flash) primary and 5 Megapixel secondary cameras. There is an on-board memory capacity of 32 GB but that can’t be expanded any further. This single SIM phone runs on a 2000 mAh battery. While these specifications are very good by segment standards, it remains to be seen whether they’ll help the Elife E6 to establish its niche in the market. The Rs. 20,999 price tag may not be the best price for this phone.

Xolo Q3000:

The Xolo Q3000 aims to oust every other phone in this segment and then some more. It has a 5.7 inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. As far as the processor is concerned, it has a 1.5 GHz MediaTek MTK 6589 Turbo Quad Core Processor with 2 GB of RAM. There is a PowerVR SGX544 chip to handle the graphics and this phone comes with Android 4.2. It has a 16 GB on-board memory capacity that can be expanded up to 32 GB. There is a 13 Megapixel primary camera (with LED flash) and a 5 Megapixel secondary camera. Both the cameras also sport the BSI (Back Side Illumination) technology. This dual SIM phone is powered by an all powerful 4000 mAh battery. Selling at a starting price point of Rs. 19,648, the Xolo Q3000 offers a decent value for money proposition.

Karbonn Titanium S7:

The Karbonn Titanium S7 can easily be called as one of the best VFM phones around right now. The 5 inch screen has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. It has a 1.5 GHz processor and 1 GB RAM and runs on Android 4.2. There is a 16 GB built-in storage capacity that can be expanded up to 32 GB. The primary shooter bears a resolution of 13 Megapixels while the secondary one stands at 2 Megapixels. It is powered by a 2000 mAh battery and can support two SIM cards. All these specs further combined with a price tag of Rs. 14,875 makes for an irresistible deal.

Sony Xperia C:

The Sony Xperia C is a phone that is targeted at the youth. It has a qHD 5 inch screen that has a resolution of 960×540 pixels. This phone has got a 1.2 GHz MediaTek Quad Core MTK 6589 processor along with 1 GB of RAM. There is an IMG SGX 544 chipset to handle the graphics. The primary camera has a resolution of 8 Megapixels and also has a pulsed flash. Internal memory capacity stands at 4 GB but can be expanded up to 32 GB. The secondary camera has a rather low 0.3 Megapixel resolution. This phone is powered by a 2330 mAh battery and is available at a starting price point of Rs. 17,973.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini:

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini was launched to cater to the lower end of the high-end Smartphone segment but didn’t do too well. Now it has undergone a price revision and has turned into a highly desirable and attractive product. The 4.27 inch screen has a resolution of 540×960 pixels and comes with Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology. It has a 1.7 GHz Dual Core processor that is backed by a 1.5 GB RAM. It also has an Adreno 305 GPU. The primary camera bears an 8 Megapixel resolution along with a Power LED flash, while the secondary camera has a 1.9 Megapixel resolution. It is powered by a 1900 mAh battery. The Galaxy S4 Mini starts off at a price point of Rs. 20,299.

An important factor to be considered while purchasing a Smartphone is its post-sales service and resale value. We’re talking about the bigger picture after all. While the technical specifications of our top two phones may not be the segment benchmarks in some instances, they do have a widespread dealer and service network, and will also command a higher resale value (because they come from established brands) in comparison to their counter-parts.

Other phones in this price segment that deserve your attention:

HTC 8S (A620E) – Rs. 16,749

Intex Aqua i7 – Rs.17,759

Micromax Canvas 4 – Rs. 14,475

Note: Prices mentioned here are as seen on flipkart.